Woman caught selling $1.7m moon rock

A woman has been taken into custody in the US for allegedly trying to sell a piece of moon rock for $1.7 million (£1 million).

BBC News reports that the unnamed woman was caught after an extensive sting operation during a meeting with a NASA investigator in Lake Elsinore, California.

NASA officials have yet to determine whether the rock is genuine or not, and the individual could face charges of theft if it is genuine, or fraud if it isn't.

"It's possible this is a moon rock, but it has to be tested first," NASA's deputy inspector general Gail Robinson told the Los Angeles Times.

The woman is being held in custody at present, but has yet to be issued with any formal charges.

The sale of moon rock is illegal in the US, where the mineral is seen as being a national treasure. Several hundred kilograms of lunar rock were collected during a string of missions to the moon during the 1970s.